Applying Constructionist Approaches to Teaching English Argument Structure Constructions to EFL Learners

The present study investigated the effects of construction-based instruction on Korean English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' production of the English argument structure constructions. Within the theoretical framework of construction grammar (Goldberg, 1995), the authors presented college students with English constructions in a hierarchical network and provided contextually meaningful visual scenes in connection with the language input. Results from translation and guided writing tasks, which were implemented before, immediately after, and 4 weeks after the learning sessions, revealed that learners who received construction-based instruction outperformed those who received form-centered instruction in both immediate and delayed posttests. Further, among the construction-based groups, only those learners who were presented with the target constructions in a network hierarchy maintained improved performance in the delayed posttest. The authors conclude by addressing the pedagogical implications for construction-based teaching in the EFL context.